ISO REGEN Listening Impressions (kicked off with some measurements)

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Got my ISO Regen/LPS-1 bundle this morning from Martin at Vortexbox UK, who said this was from the second batch.

 

First tried the USPCB between my mRendu and Chord DAVE, replacing the Curious link.  I was immediately impressed with the greater clarity and dynamics.  Next, I inserted the LPS-1 powered ISO Regen between the mRendu and DAVE, connecting the mRendu to IR with the Curious, and the IR to DAVE with the USPCB.  Crackle and pop started within five seconds.  This was just an initial quick listen before I have to go out and I did ring Martin to mention and to learn if there is anything I was doing wrong.  We agreed I would have a longer listen and swap things around when I get back this afternoon and report back to him with more detail, but we both felt it wasn't looking/sounding good.

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18 hours ago, sadekkhalifa said:

Anyone have Hugo2 and trying to use ISOREGEN with it.

 

I'm curious to know how much the effects of ISOREGEN to Hugo2. 

I have both, and while the ISO Regen is being used in my main Chord DAVE-based system, I did try it with the Hugo2 to play music from my iPad, including using a USPCB between the Apple Camera adapter and the ISO Regen.  I can't remember the detail but I do remember feeling that the IR added an extra something positive to the sound.  I might try the H2/IR combination in my main system this evening.

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24 minutes ago, sadekkhalifa said:

 

That is a great thing.

 

Looking forward to see your observations and may i know what is the type of the adapter you will use in order to connect IR to Hugo2 and from where you got it?

The only usable cable I had was the cheap USB A to USB micro cable that came with the original Hugo I once owned.  It would be great if Uptone Audio could make a USPCB for connection to the Hugo/Mojo.  A few have already suggested they should do so.

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21 hours ago, str-1 said:

The only usable cable I had was the cheap USB A to USB micro cable that came with the original Hugo I once owned.  It would be great if Uptone Audio could make a USPCB for connection to the Hugo/Mojo.  A few have already suggested they should do so.

OK, I had some time last night to have another listen to the ISO Regen linked up to the Hugo2.

 

I first put the Hugo2 into my main system, replacing the Chord DAVE.  I then tried the IR/H2 combination with just my iPad Pro.  In both cases, the IR was powered by an Uptone LPS-1.  I only had a cheap 1m usb cable to connect the IR to the H2 (the cable that came with the original Hugo I once owned).  With the iPad pro, I used a USPCB to connect the IR to the iPad's camera adapter.

 

The differences (for me, improvements) the ISO Regen introduced, while not night and day, were of the same type in both setups.  It simply put more meat on the bones, but without losing any definition.  It sounded more authoritative, more natural.  Striking piano keys and plucking guitar strings had a more weighty and defined punch.  The low-end was better controlled.  Vocals sounded more natural. 

 

If anyone is thinking of using the ISO Regen with both a microRendu and a Hugo2, I would say that since upgrading my microRendu board to v1.4 (which according to Sonore includes an updated regeneration circuit) the improvements introduced by the IR are slightly reduced compared to its use with the mR 1.3 board.  But for me, there is still a very clear improvement with the IR in the chain.  I suspect the improvements will be that much greater when connecting the IR directly to a computer.

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4 hours ago, rickca said:

I think you are mistaken about this.  The only change in the 1.4 hardware update is the clock (the same clock used in the ultraRendu).  You get a new 1.4 black PCB but the circuit design is unchanged from the original.

Here's a quote from the Sonore website:

"The update changes the oscillator utilized for the CPU and the USB regenerative circuit while the remaining circuit design remains unchanged."

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Sorry if this question has been asked before.  Can I safely run my ISO Regen off 5V if my dac (Chord DAVE) only needs the 5V to recognise a usb input?

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Thanks, Alex.